August is quickly passing us by, which can only mean one thing: school starts soon!
For those of you heading off to college for the first time (or being left at home as your son/daughter leaves for college), prepare yourself for a lot of changes in the coming months! The first few weeks of college sometimes have the feeling of summer camp: there are so many activities going on, so many new people to meet, and so many new buildings to navigate. You have the opportunity to be so busy that you don’t have time to think!
But sometimes, after not getting enough sleep, or being buried by the huge pile of dirty laundry falling out of your closet, or not knowing exactly what to write for your English paper, feeling start creeping in that you aren’t sure how to handle. The feelings might be homesickness, stress, academic unpreparedness, or more. Don’t worry: at some point, this happens to everyone! The beauty of being on a college campus, though, is that there are so many people and offices available to help ensure your success.
If you take a close look at your bill each quarter/semester, you will usually find a section of “student fees.” These fees go to cover a variety of services that are available to you to use at any time during your college career. If you are already paying for these services, why not use them?
Here is my suggestion: find these resources before you need them! Grab a new friend and take a walking tour during the first few days you are on campus.
- If you haven’t already done it, find the buildings where all of your classes will be held.
- Next, find some of these important help resources: Campus Health, Counseling Services, Career Services, Academic Advising, Writing Center, Learning Center (or whatever office on your campus offers academic assistance, such as tutoring, study skills, etc), Registrar’s Office, Financial Aid, the Recreation Center, Dean of Students Office. You can ask your RA for additional suggestions of offices to visit.
- Go in to each office and ask the person at the front desk what kinds of services they provide for students and how you can utilize their office. Do they prefer you to have an appointment, or can you just walk in? Are there resources online that you can access from your laptop, or would it usually be best to talk to someone in the office? When is the office open?
- Collect a brochure or information sheet from each office, if there is one available. You could also take a business card for the person you talked to, if he/she has one available.
- Designate a folder specifically to these information sheets that you collected. Keep the folder in a place you will remember.
It may happen that you never need to look at that folder again. Perhaps you won’t run into any academic, personal, or emotional challenges, and that is great! But if you do find yourself a little more stressed than usual about a particular situation, you already know that there is someone on campus you can talk with about it and where that office is located. If you aren’t sure exactly where to go or who to talk with, start by talking with your R.A. (resident advisor) in your residence hall or your academic advisor or a professor. Even if they don’t know specifically how to help you in your situation, they most likely will be able to help you find a person who can! The important thing to remember when you are facing a challenge is just to ask for help: there will always be someone willing to give you assistance on your campus.
It is also important to remember that you can use campus resources even when you think things are going really well. Your papers could always be a little bit better, so why not ask someone in the Writing Center look it over. Math or science might be subjects you generally do well in, so see if there is an option for you to become a tutor for other students. If you are going on a service trip and aren’t sure if your tetanus shot is up to date, find out if you could get that immunization in Campus Health. Even as a first-year student, it is never too early to use the resources in Career Services; they can help you explore major or career options and find internships. The Counseling Center might provide free or low-cost massages during midterms or finals, or provide nutrition services to help you make the most of the dining hall food options.
The key point to all if it is this: successful students ask for help. It is not a sign of weakness, and people are not going to make fun of you for using resources that are available to you. You may even learn something from the experience, and that’s really what college is all about.
Sarah Howard is in her third year of academic advising at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She advises students with majors in natural sciences, mathematics, and pre-health fields. Sarah completed her bachelor’s degree at Ashland University in Ohio with a double major in English and mathematics and a religious studies minor; she also holds a Master of Arts degree from Bowling Green State University in college student personnel. Her favorite colors are blue and orange. She can be found online at @howardsj or her blog at http://undecidedlyadvising.blogspot.com
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Sean Cook has 15 years of experience working in Higher Education, as a Student Affairs Professional. He is a Certified Life and Career Coach through the Life Purpose Institute, a program accredited by the International Coach Federation. Sean also writes about career issues in higher education for our companion site, HigherEdCareerCoach.com and is a periodic contributor to the Student Affairs Collaborative Blog.
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